A conventional door lock, whether of the latch or dead bolt tape, requires that a cooperating strike be mounted on the doorjamb to receive the latch or bolt. The most common arrangement uses a simple stamped elongated metal plate with an aperture of suitable size and shape. Two holes, located above and below the aperture, permit the strike to be secured to the doorjamb by mounting screws.
If the strike is to coact with the lock in a satisfactory manner, it must be positioned with considerable accuracy. The most critical parameter in positioning the strike is the location of the vertical edge of the aperture that is farthest from the stop of the doorjamb. This edge must engage the latch or bolt so as to hold the door firmly against the stop without permitting the door to rattle. If the edge is too close, however, the aperture will not readily receive the bolt or latch when the door is closed.
The failure of door locks to work together as intended is frequently attributable to the difficulty in accurately drilling the holes in the doorjamb to receive the mounting screws, the aperture often being too close to the stop or too far away. Moreover, the holes may not be vertically aligned and may not be spaced apart by the correct distance to mount the strike in any position. Even if the holes are drilled in the proper position, bowing of the door can cause misalignment later. Settling of the building over a period of time frequently dislocates and misaligns the strike. Although the horizontal position of the aperture is the most critical, vertical misalignment can also cause serious problems and is most likely to occur as a result of "door sag" which accompanies settling. An existing hole that is out of position usually makes it difficult or impossible to drill a new hole at the proper location since the new hole position often overlaps the old hole.
There is, therefore, a recognized need for a strike that permits the position of the bolt or latchreceiving aperture to be adjusted with reference to the positions of the screw holes in the doorjamb. It is an objective of the present invention to provide such a strike.